﻿I was in the moment. My favorite song, “Just Begun”, blared through the speakers in my cousin’s room as I stood at the mirror, doing the best east coast rap impression I could. “From the entry you know I’m some influential cuz I’m glowin like a candle/ the focus is so essential dog what you tryna get into?/I steady the flow, ready to blow like snotty tissue/they snitchin like Donnie Brasco I’m countin like Monte Cristo/The ghetto full of betrayal like Iago and Othello/ya fellow neighbor will slay you or smoke you like cigarillos/Police, want that info- “Dang are you ready yet?!”my cousin Keena busted into the room, interrupting my flow. I ignored her rudeness and responded, “Almost – I just gotta pin my hair up.” “Hold up… that’s what you’re wearing tonight?” she asked with judging eyes. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked, backing away from the mirror a little. I had on a fitted white t-shirt that said “93 til” in big black letters, dark skinny jeans that had a bunch of faint scratches after I tried my best to destroy them, and I was still barefoot because I hadn’t chosen shoes yet. “You look like a tomboy or something,” she said, frowning and eyeing me up and down. “What? You said we were going to see your friend at a rap show. I’m just trying to blend in,” I explained.﻿Read More...

﻿Originally posted at Southern Eccentrik, the official blog of Playwright Chandra Kamaria It is my belief that, as a writer, you have to be observant of everything. For me, people-watching strongly influences my writing process. While people-watching, I’m picking up on context clues in conversations, nonverbal communication or body language as well as dreaming up various scenarios and their potential outcomes. During the course of observing life, its’ wonders, and complexities, something will happen, like finding myself attracted to someone. If I’m in deep creative mode, I can detach myself from the surface-level attraction and use it as a muse, of sorts. That’s my way of making sure nothing is discarded from life’s observations. But then, there’s this not-so-often situation when I find myself unable to shake the attraction because it goes deeper than an initial magnetism. Yes, there’s a component of intrigue that draws me even closer to the person, igniting a desire in me to investigate their inner workings. That’s when I have to admit that I’m officially ‘crushing’. I call these instances ‘beautiful distractions’.Read more...﻿